I found this article on the internet this morning.
Link:
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/s...-1698870c.html
Why coroner thinks UCD student killed himself
By Pamela Martineau -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 5:30 a.m. PST Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2002
Each of his 29 stab wounds could have been self-inflicted. There were no traces of entry into his room by
another person. And his body showed no signs of injuries that would occur during a struggle.
Those were some of the primary factors that led Yolo County coroner's officials to conclude that Andrew
Wieman -- a UC Davis student who was found dead in his fraternity house bedroom last year -- committed
suicide and was not murdered.
"It's difficult to believe that somebody could inflict those types of wounds," Yolo County Sheriff-Coroner Ed
Prieto told reporters Monday. "But we just can't support the fact that anyone else was in the room."
Prieto detailed much of the physical evidence that led investigators to determine that Wieman, a well-liked
third-year UC Davis student, killed himself in a bizarre, multiple-stabbing suicide.
Immediately following Prieto's briefing Monday, UC Davis officials made public some of the evidence that led
them to the same conclusion, including Wieman's four-sentence suicide note.
"Dear World, I am only doing this because I have no other choice," the note began. "I can no longer take care of
myself and I don't want others to do it for me." UC Davis Police Chief Calvin Handy said that extensive
investigation into Wieman's life revealed that he was "troubled," even though his friends and family members
said he was a contented man who looked with hope to the future.
"Andrew was troubled and had some conflict in his life," said Handy, who declined to elaborate on Wieman's
problems.
Jeff Wyly, Wieman's former roommate and fraternity brother, disputed the characterization of his friend as
"troubled," saying those who knew Andrew "had no idea he had anything the matter with him."
Wyly and Jack B. Holder, a private investigator hired by the Wieman family to look into the case, said they still
had doubts that Wieman killed himself, despite the release of the evidence in the case.
"The thing that stands out is the wounds," Holder said. "You're telling me that someone can inflict those wounds
on himself and not make a sound?"
Wieman, 20, was found dead in his locked room at Kappa Sigma fraternity house on Jan. 4, 2001. He had deep
stab wounds to his head, neck and chest, officials said.
Police initially ruled the death a suicide. Coroner's officials later classified the death as suspicious, partly
because some of
Wieman's severe gashes suggested foul play.
Investigators with the Yolo County Coroner's Office, the UC Davis police department and the state Department
of Justice launched extensive investigations into the case, which included analysis of all blood found at the
scene, toxicology tests and a psychological profile of Wieman. Wieman had no drugs or alcohol in his system
at the time of his death, officials concluded.
All three agencies said that while the method of suicide was bizarre, there is no evidence to suggest foul play.
Prieto said Monday that Wieman's room at the fraternity showed no signs of forced entry, theft or struggle. The
young man's fingerprints were found on the knife officials believe was used in the attack and on the suicide note
that was later determined to have been written by Wieman.
Prieto said three of the stab wounds Wieman suffered were fatal, and the others were less serious wounds on
places such as his hands and wrists. The young man was found lying in his bed with a blanket pulled over him.
His body showed no signs of restraint.
Prieto said the wounds "took some time" to inflict, although officials could not determine how much time.
Wieman family members said in a statement released Monday that they "still have some serious concerns
stemming from the information we have."
Wyly said the closure of the case by investigators may allow some of Wieman's friends to begin to heal.
"It's only now that we can truly start to say goodbye," he said.
UC Davis officials said that each year, the the university's counseling center hospitalizes about 15 students who
have been thinking seriously of suicide. They urged students who are suffering depression to call the center at
(530) 752-0871.